Ho-ping for romance
Lauren Ho’s debut novel Last Tang Standing is a comedic tale of love and traditions.
IT’S never fun being last at anything. Just ask Andrea Tang, protagonist of the novel Last Tang Standing.
At first glance, this Malaysian-born Singapore-based career woman is doing great. At 33, she has a beautiful apartment, supportive friends, and is on track to becoming a partner at a top law firm.
One Chinese New Year, however, Andrea makes a horrific discovery: her cousin has gotten hitched, making her the only single person in her family ... yes, the last Tang standing.
Her mother isn’t the happiest person to hear this news. And so, armed with pluck, determination, and an array of snarky quips, Andrea doubles down on finding a partner only to find love is much more complicated than she thought.
For author Lauren Ho, the inspiration for Last Tang Standing came to her unexpectedly.
“I don’t think there was an ‘a-ha’ moment for my debut novel per se, but the idea germinated during a stand-up comedy set I performed, and it just took off. A lot of my novel was inspired by my experiences trying to fit an ideal Chinese daughter archetype, failing somewhat, and ultimately being OK with that,” says Ho in an email interview.
Billed as Crazy Rich Asians meets Bridget Jones’s Diary, Ho’s novel was released recently by Harper Collins.
It is a comedic exploration of the pursuit of happiness as told by a candid career-driven Chinese-malaysian female narrator. There is no shortage of humour. Chinese New Year, for example, is described as the “Annual Spinster Shaming Festival”. A meal with her colleague, meanwhile, is an “Establishment of Hierarchy Lunch”, all about power moves.
“Most of it is indeed based on actual experiences I’ve had. But with important legally necessary creative embellishment, of course,” says Ho.
The author herself has had quite an interesting life. Born in Kuala Lumpur, Ho went to Britain to study law, before moving to Luxembourg, where she practised in a law firm there.
In 2013, she moved to Singapore after her husband was transferred there.
Ho also worked with an international humanitarian aid organisation for four years as their Singapore-based liaison.
At the moment, she is a full-time author. She finished writing this book in 2017, edited it in 2018, and the following year, had it accepted for publication.
She has been nominated for international creative writing award the Bridport Prize twice, and was recently awarded the second prize in the English short story category at the 2019 Golden Point Awards in Singapore.
Like her main character Andrea Tang, Ho
has a snarky sense of humour and a legal background, but the author states there are fundamental differences between them.
“For example, while I worked in a law firm, I never progressed as far as she did, and quit to go in-house early on. I have never been super obsessed with rankings, even though I was a very good student,” says Ho.
“Most of all, I want to make it clear that none of my sainted family members are anything like the nosy, unrelenting relatives of Andrea Tang’s clan.”
Through the pages, you’ll find Ho’s novel is filled with colourful characters. They range from Andrea’s insufferable very traditional mother to Suresh Aditparan, an equally competitive colleague in her law firm. Then there’s Eric Deng, a kind-hearted businessman that Andrea becomes drawn to.
Ho’s favourite character to write, however, was Linda. She’s Andrea’s flighty best friend, who ends up in crazy shenanigans of her own.
“Linda’s not the easiest friend to have – she’s a little bit extra, a little bit self-absorbed, a little bit flighty, and she drinks a little too much for her own good. “But on the flip side, she’s always frank and honest, she’s always fun to be around, and when push comes to shove she always makes time (and money) for her friends. I like when characters are not black-and-white, but realistic and relatable, with their flaws, little and large,” explains Ho.
Societal and cultural expectations play a huge part in this book, and how they still remain present in most Asian communities today.
“In my book, while the characters might not agree with the cultural expectations placed upon them, they understand the love and intention behind them, and are respectful of them, even if they aren’t obliging,” says Ho.
“I think that’s the lens my characters, and I, view some of the norms, practices and traditions that form part of our heritage. I think the influence may wane with the coming generations, and that can be lamentable or good, depending on what we’re talking about.”
Will there be another novel about Andrea? The answer is a resounding yes.
“Yes, there is a sequel to Last Tang Standing in the works, which will follow Andrea’s growth as a person in her next phase of life. No spoilers,” says Ho before adding candidly: “I also think Linda deserves a spin-off one day!”